Beards, Booze and Blues: The Hitchhikers' Guide

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Wake up Bix

Natural is a popular word at the moment, whether it be a marketing force in bottled water (just how many variations of Natural Spring Water are available commercially?), a whole host of yoghurt intended to add various benefits to your digestive tract and it is a term being used on the increase in the modelling world. There is a sudden movement for a mimalisitic approach in make up outside of echoing a deliberate style, usually vintage/retro pin up style. My first thought when the word Natural came up as prompt was of a model named Louisa Lockhart and I quickly thought to look elsewhere for inspiration.

People often talk of natural talent in people and many do have a natural talent, but what people forget is that even talent needs to be managed and developed to truely harness it. People such as Bix Beiderbecke and Lester Young, who were gifted musical geniuses, feel foul to the hubris of a natural talent. Both put little effort into the technical side of music and used their incredibly to get by, which was find until they started to play professionally full time, which limited their prospects. Neither were great sight readers but Young following a reprimand from a band leader swotted up. Bix on the other hand started to crawl into a bottle and never emerged. A member of the Paul Whitman Orchestra scrawled “wake up Bix” on his sheet music in protest to his issues, Bix as we know was eventually put on a period of extended leave to dry out but ended up dying as a consequence of his alcoholism .